The Dickinson press., 1887-05-21
A DEATH BROKER.
BUSINESS WHICH REvERsEs THE
OPERATIONS OF LIFE INSURANCE.

of the Business.
1t was i'll a real estate brokers' Office on
Court street, and the time was after dinner.
The broker had just disposed of n big brick
swell front house OH Commonwealth avenue
with rs much ease and rs little difficulty rs
You could sell Il pint of peanuts ut q cattle
fair. He was 4 man Of business, that broker
was, and to use an expression which he de-
lighted in, ho liked to see things go ut the
first "cracs."
l rather liked him, although l was not
stuck on him, for l was taught in my earl.
Ter and innocent days to DO cautious i'll my
dealings with the man who talked cuisines as
cold bloodedly to mo as an Anarchist hurls a
bomb at n car of all the Russlas.
You buy lcgacies:" l remarked. Such n
flat, stale and Improbable remark, l
thought, beside the vi orous md prolonged
push which he gave to his alacritous vocab-
ulary.
YES" he replied, II make and havo made
II great many contingent observation-disclosures
obit investments some call them. You will
perceive that my business is a owe one, in
this country at least. 1t sof frequent occur
renee iii England for a young man who has
been beqGcatlled a sum of money, or left
some real estate, to sell his right to such prop
erty, the buyer, of course, not realizing his
benefit until the death of somo guardian.
uncle, aunt or parent. OF course We taio no
chances on simple wills of living persons, as
such persons may change their wills u dozen
times before they go over the river. Where
would We be if we did. We'd be in the river,
and not ailoat, You bet.
BENEFITS of THE
"Lct me give you an illustration of the
benefits OF this business. Only a few days
ago a sailor chap steps in here. Says he, 'Tve
just come ashore, having laid alongside onc Of
Uncle SAINTS guns for years. l haven't 4 nick,
ye sec, and a chap as would like to so with me
to see Jake Kiirain and Joo Lannon maui
each other give me the tip that l sell what
right l has in the property left Inc and mo
brother by tho old man. can't get Il pick
until the ole woman dies, and although she's
near so, shiver mo timbc,s if Idon't think it'll
be q big break before she goes uloft. So, yo
see, l goes to me brother, and axes him what
hell give me fur my share. He tells INC that
my share amt worth q schoonero of beer. I'm
dislleartened, dye sec, until this chap as
wants to see the fglt-a fcller as reads, he is,
though he does booze-tells mo that You could
do mo up. Now, if ye can, and does, I'm nc
tar if l don't drink yer health morc'n wunst.
Yc sec, cap'n, we want to get a peep at the
mauling.'
Questioning the fellow further, I was
assured that his claim YVES solid, AMI l Offered
him $500 for it at the first crack. He went
away md soon returned With the Information
that his brother had abandoned the schooner
of beer theory, and would give linn :l,c0o il
cold cash. | went the brother $3.50 better
however, and we closed the trade.
$50, you SEQ, l have not us yet received
copper in return for my expenditure, ant
won't until the sailors mother died. o
course, the chances are against her living long
enough to cuchrc mo out of my investment
You must remember there are cases whcr,
the principal and compound interest OF TIL
SUN advanced may in time exceed the sun
realized in tho end. You Sec, some oil
yemen never die. What's to kill them
Having passed through al the critical stage
of womanhood, leading exemplary lives, re
firing carly md not arising too early, drink
ins ten and eating toast, why shouldn't the,
1.-Two long enough to baltic me! ;io,nc day
far nway--they may dry up and blow OF
then | have II show to make u dollar.
You sec this business is the reverse of lif
insurance. While tho life Insurance man j
interested in the prolongation of human life
the legacy buyer looks upon death as TIL
messenger who unlocks the safety dcposi
vaults of Dives, and makes tho heart of sai'
Legacy buyer happy. Thus tho dark pail be
comes an immaculate wedding garment"
TILE DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED.
Ic went on: an tell You another thing
1t often happens that this contingent invest
1ncat business operates in favor of the on
who takes tho risk anl tn" ono who sells til
legacy. Thus, to protect myself, l freqientl.
get the life of the man i'll question insured TO
asum equal to tho expected Legacy. SO, i
he dies before get my legacy, why a.
protected by tho insurance. 1t has so hay
pcllel that l get my share all right, While til
man who is insured, or his family, is not LEI
either.
"But 1 do wish I had those old ladies, 900,
souls, Off my hands. I've got three of then
already, and may have moro before wintc
tAaws out in the lap of spring. However,
prefer them to some Of the beats l como i
contact with. You can't imagine the nulncl
Gus forces against which l am obliged t
work sometimes. Dishonest Legacy hunter.
interruptions trustees and such. There is
wide scope for q man who wants to b
crooked. Now, if 1 buy legacy from q fel
t. low there is nothing to prevent him fror
selling it again to some other man. Th
courts in this state have decided that tho il
ves.ment belongs to the first purchaser
Therefore, if a fellow comes in here to offe
INC u legacy for salo, how do l know that h
has not already sold it to somebody elsca
Out you ought to sec the array of crank
with whom l havo TO DEAL" he went OF
"Nhy, they come here from all parts, fror
all classes and conditions, imagining that the
have got some money tied up somewhere
Why, Ihad q woman come in here not Ion
/. ago who told me that jay Gould held $500
900 in trust for her, and that she would sc
| it for two-thirds. OF course, she did not foe
me-. Then q colored woman, who claims t
! b. Queen Of Africa, and who speaks of lie
daughter as the princess, is u frequent caller
She says that she OWNS u gold mino or tina
she Will w one when her father, who is Loo
years old, dies. She says the mine is i'll til
Congo country. I think it must exist in til
, great desert of Sahara; that is, in the onl
oasis of her brain. Then there is q Chinama
who wants to sell me his interest ina tea tielt
which he says is thirty miles outside {
Canton, China. His is a sad story. He IL
, clarts that he was q merchant of respect all
promincncein Canton, but, through Il love {
opium, neglected his business, which final
fell into the hands OF creditors. with the c,
ception of q certain field, which, bya Mong'
liam law, as old as Confucius, still remain
> his, but which he cannot dispose of viii
5 living. He thinks he can sell it when he
dead. don't believe it. He says he keeps
r laundry now on Howard street. "-Bosto
y Globe.